Intimate partner violence among Jordanian pregnant women and its predictors

Aim: To determine and compare the level of prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) at 12 months before pregnancy and during pregnancy and to identify the predictors of physical IPV. Design: A cross-sectional, correlational design was used for data collection and analysis. Methods: Convenience sampling was used to recruit 247 women for the study. The women's IPV experience was measured by the Arabic version of the World Health Organization's Domestic Violence Questionnaire Screening Tool. Results: The women reported that they experienced substantial levels of different types of IPV during pregnancy: 93.1% control, 66% psychological, 31.2% physical and 8.9% sexual. The levels of psychological, physical and sexual IPV during pregnancy were statistically significantly lower than those before pregnancy. In the case of physical IPV, women's age and verbal fighting were independent positive predictors, while women's educational level, husbands' educational level and level of mutual understanding were independent negative predictors. It is therefore recommended that policymakers focus on providing marital advice and marriage counselling and on empowering women by education in order to tackle IPV during pregnancy.